- Win Rate
- 51.7%
- Pick Rate
- 4.0%
- Ban Rate
- 20.5%
Malzahar Mid Counters & Lane Matchups
- Patch
- 26.20
- Games
- 8,082
- Lane
- Mid
- Tier
- All Tiers
- Last Updated
- Oct 19, 2026 UTC
- Methodology
- Data Methodology
- Author
- Dakota Chinnick
Every Mid lane opponent Malzahar faced in Patch 26.20, ranked: Ahri (54.8% win rate against Malzahar) and Locke (54.8%) are the hardest. See gold, CS and XP at 15 for all 49 matchups, find the best counter from your own champion pool, and learn how to play against Malzahar.
- Hardest counter
- Ahriwins 54.8%
- Next hardest
- Lockewins 54.8%
- Biggest lane bully
- Irelia+950 gold at 15
- Easiest matchup
- Zoeyou win 64.4%
- Mid lanes won at 15
- 52.9%
Who Counters Malzahar Mid (Patch 26.20)
49 lane opponents · 7,104 gamesThe hardest Mid matchups for Malzahar are Ahri (54.8% win rate against Malzahar), Locke (54.8%) and Yone (52.7%). Irelia is the biggest lane bully, finishing 15 minutes 950 gold ahead of Malzahar on average. Across the 48 matchups with lane data, Malzahar is clearly ahead in gold at 15 against 16 and clearly behind against 6. The easiest lane is Zoe: Malzahar wins 64.4%.
| Opponent | Their win rate | Gold @15 | CS @15 | XP @15 | Verdict | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ahri | 54.8% | −135 | −17.3 | −110 | Leans their way | 334 |
 Locke | 54.8% | +462 | −21.8 | −63 | Leans their wayWins lane | 228 |
 Yone | 52.7% | +172 | −5.9 | +85 | Leans their wayWins lane | 332 |
 Ekko | 52.0% | +159 | −19.6 | −25 | Leans their wayWins lane | 269 |
 Vex | 53.2% | −25 | −16.7 | −55 | Leans their way | 190 |
 Xerath | 53.7% | +54 | −15.4 | +290 | Leans their way | 164 |
 Veigar | 50.6% | −399 | −19.4 | −187 | Loses laneOutscales | 441 |
 Zed | 50.7% | +62 | −18.8 | −225 | Even | 276 |
 Viktor | 51.5% | −133 | −11.2 | +111 | Even | 202 |
 Fizz | 49.7% | +402 | −17.2 | −43 | Wins lane | 310 |
 Hwei | 52.8% | −179 | −11.6 | +84 | Leans their way | 127 |
 Smolder | 52.4% | −45 | −7.0 | +16 | Leans their way | 105 |
 Twisted Fate | 50.0% | +643 | −18.7 | −164 | Wins lane | 150 |
 Morgana | 57.6% | −223 | −18.3 | +150 | Leans their way | 33 |
 Yasuo | 45.5% | −69 | −7.0 | −260 | Leans your way | 407 |
 Katarina | 47.9% | −97 | −23.7 | −344 | Leans your way | 167 |
 Anivia | 52.5% | −448 | −19.9 | −143 | Leans their wayLoses lane | 61 |
 Naafiri | 52.5% | +108 | −12.4 | −320 | Leans their way | 59 |
 Swain | 55.3% | −24 | −14.6 | −137 | Leans their way | 38 |
 Kassadin | 51.6% | −100 | −18.7 | −215 | Even | 64 |
 Lux | 45.2% | −183 | −16.4 | −65 | Leans your wayLoses lane | 281 |
 Syndra | 46.8% | +139 | −6.3 | +56 | Leans your way | 171 |
 Orianna | 49.4% | −112 | −10.0 | −80 | Even | 89 |
 Diana | 46.5% | +155 | −20.0 | −183 | Leans your way | 172 |
 Irelia | 47.9% | +950 | +10.8 | +208 | Leans your wayWins lane | 119 |
 Annie | 50.0% | −603 | −23.2 | −380 | Loses lane | 66 |
 Akali | 44.0% | −216 | −23.2 | −312 | Leans your wayLoses lane | 243 |
 Galio | 44.9% | −227 | −20.8 | −342 | Leans your wayLoses lane | 176 |
 Aurora | 48.1% | −167 | −19.9 | −120 | Even | 79 |
 LeBlanc | 44.6% | −287 | −23.5 | −258 | Leans your wayLoses lane | 175 |
 Lissandra | 44.7% | +69 | −9.5 | −7 | Leans your way | 150 |
 Sylas | 42.4% | −491 | −33.9 | −490 | FavorableLoses lane | 302 |
 Azir | 50.0% | −668 | −19.8 | −409 | Loses lane | 52 |
 Akshan | 48.4% | +346 | −15.6 | −69 | Even | 64 |
 Aurelion Sol | 45.0% | −705 | −20.7 | −447 | Leans your wayLoses lane | 111 |
 Talon | 49.0% | +354 | −18.0 | −176 | Even | 51 |
 Cassiopeia | 51.5% | −228 | −18.1 | +60 | Even | 33 |
 Gwen | 47.2% | −190 | −21.5 | −320 | Leans your way | 53 |
 Vel'Koz | 46.9% | −197 | −17.2 | +56 | Leans your way | 49 |
 Ryze | 44.2% | −656 | −16.1 | −275 | Leans your wayLoses lane | 77 |
 Vladimir | 42.4% | −541 | −20.8 | −302 | Leans your wayLoses lane | 92 |
 Mel | 39.9% | +20 | −6.2 | −184 | Favorable | 163 |
 Ziggs | 45.3% | +222 | −8.2 | +188 | Leans your way | 53 |
 Malphite | 45.9% | −1,000 | −34.1 | −723 | Leans your wayLoses lane | 37 |
 Brand | 43.8% | −362 | −15.7 | −104 | Leans your wayLoses lane | 48 |
 Gangplank | 43.3% | — | — | — | Leans your way | 30 |
 Zoe | 35.6% | −532 | −24.4 | −410 | FavorableLoses lane | 104 |
 Qiyana | 36.8% | +67 | −22.7 | −376 | Favorable | 76 |
 Pantheon | 32.3% | −703 | −41.4 | −942 | FavorableLoses lane | 31 |
Ranked solo and flex games where both champions played the same lane this patch. Win rate shown is the OPPONENT's. Lists rank by the 95% range of each win rate, so a handful of games cannot top the list; gold, CS and XP are the opponent's lead at 15:00.
Malzahar Counter Pick Finder
Find your counter
Pick the champions you play to rank them against Malzahar. With nothing picked, the strongest counters overall are shown.
| Pick | Win rate vs Malzahar | Gold @15 | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Ahri | 54.8% | −135 | 334 |
| 2. Locke | 54.8% | +462 | 228 |
| 3. Yone | 52.7% | +172 | 332 |
| 4. Ekko | 52.0% | +159 | 269 |
| 5. Vex | 53.2% | −25 | 190 |
Malzahar Lane Gold at 15 Minutes
Malzahar's gold lead or deficit at 15:00 against the twelve most common Mid opponents. Right of the line, Malzahar is ahead; left, the opponent is.
From a champion selection perspective, the strongest Malzahar counters are Ahri, Locke, Yone, and Ekko. These champions either out-trade Malzahar in lane, have abilities that negate Malzahar's core mechanics, or scale better into team fights. Ahri in particular exploits Malzahar's weaknesses by providing consistent pressure while being difficult to punish.
Beyond item builds and counter picks, successful counter play against Malzahar involves understanding Malzahar's power spikes and cooldown windows. Engage on Malzahar when key abilities are on cooldown, and coordinate with your team to focus Malzahar in team fights before Malzahar can output maximum damage. Vision control is also crucial when playing against Malzahar to avoid getting caught out of position. By combining proper defensive itemization with smart champion selection and strategic gameplay, you can effectively neutralize Malzahar's impact and secure victory.
When to Counter Malzahar - Game Phase Strategy
Malzahar may be mana-dependent early. Punish after spell rotations when abilities are on cooldown. All-in when mana is depleted for advantageous trades.
Malzahar's poke and zone control peaks mid game. Engage quickly to close the gap before Malzahar can kite. Use flanks and hard engage to bypass poke damage.
Malzahar provides strong team fight damage late. Prioritize diving Malzahar or use assassins to reach the backline. Magic resist items become crucial.
Tips for Playing Against Malzahar
- Pick Ahri or similar champions with kits that exploit Malzahar's weaknesses
- Build Mercury's Treads or Hexdrinker early to reduce Malzahar's damage in lane
- Track Malzahar's cooldowns and engage when key abilities are unavailable
- Ward Malzahar's common roam paths and ping missing immediately
- Coordinate with your jungler to gank Malzahar during vulnerable windows
- Dodge Malzahar's skill shots by moving unpredictably
- All-in Malzahar when mana is low from spell rotations
Riot's tips for playing against Malzahar
- When Malzahar hits a spell on enemies affected by Malefic Visions, the Visions are refreshed.
- Avoid minion waves that have been affected by Malefic Visions. You never know when they may die and pass the Visions onto you.
- Malzahar is especially dangerous when he has built up his Void Swarm.
Plan your Malzahar draft in Draft Lab
Draft Lab lays out both teams lane by lane with live matchup win rates, damage profiles and game-phase lean, and suggests picks and bans from current meta data.
- Full 5v5 draft board
- Lane matchup win rates
- Pick and ban suggestions
What Malzahar Is Good Against
The Mid opponents Malzahar beats most reliably this patch — the picks to look for when Malzahar is your champion.
| Opponent | Their win rate | Gold @15 | CS @15 | XP @15 | Verdict | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoe | 35.6% | −532 | −24.4 | −410 | FavorableLoses lane | 104 |
| Mel | 39.9% | +20 | −6.2 | −184 | Favorable | 163 |
| Sylas | 42.4% | −491 | −33.9 | −490 | FavorableLoses lane | 302 |
| Qiyana | 36.8% | +67 | −22.7 | −376 | Favorable | 76 |
| Yasuo | 45.5% | −69 | −7.0 | −260 | Leans your way | 407 |
| Akali | 44.0% | −216 | −23.2 | −312 | Leans your wayLoses lane | 243 |
| Lux | 45.2% | −183 | −16.4 | −65 | Leans your wayLoses lane | 281 |
| LeBlanc | 44.6% | −287 | −23.5 | −258 | Leans your wayLoses lane | 175 |
| Galio | 44.9% | −227 | −20.8 | −342 | Leans your wayLoses lane | 176 |
| Vladimir | 42.4% | −541 | −20.8 | −302 | Leans your wayLoses lane | 92 |
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Malzahar Counters FAQ - Patch 26.20
Who counters Malzahar?
In the Mid lane this patch, the strongest counters to Malzahar are Ahri (54.8% over 334 games), Locke (54.8% over 228 games), Yone (52.7% over 332 games), Ekko (52.0% over 269 games), Vex (53.2% over 190 games).
What is Malzahar's hardest matchup?
Ahri. Malzahar wins only 45.2% of 334 lane games against Ahri and sits at +135 gold at 15 minutes.
What is Malzahar good against?
Malzahar's best Mid matchups this patch are Zoe (64.4%), Mel (60.1%), Sylas (57.6%), Qiyana (63.2%).
Who beats Malzahar in lane?
Measured by gold at 15 minutes, Malzahar's toughest lanes are Irelia (+950 gold ahead), Twisted Fate (+643 gold ahead), Locke (+462 gold ahead).
Is Malzahar a lane bully?
Yes. Malzahar Mid averages 65 more gold than the lane opponent at 15 minutes and is ahead at 15 in 53% of games.